The Crown Princess Couple attend the Friends of the Swedish Institute in Rome's annual meeting

Motiv: The Crown Princess is welcomed by Elena Basile, Italy's ambassador to Sweden, and Suzanne Unge Sörling, Chairman of the Friends of the Swedish Institute in Rome. Photo: Stella Pictures

On Thursday 23 May, The Crown Princess Couple attended the Friends of the Swedish Institute in Rome's annual meeting at the Italian Cultural Institute in Stockholm.

Chairman of the association Suzanne Unge Sörling welcomed those present to the annual meeting, after which former Head of the Bernadotte Library Dr Göran Alm and Associate Professor Magnus Olausson from the Nationalmuseum gave a joint talk about Haga and Italy. The Lagergren Award and the association's scholarship were then presented. Afterwards, the annual meeting was conducted.

About the Friends of the Swedish Institute in Rome

The aim of the association is to support the Swedish Institute in Rome, to raise awareness of the institute's work, to contribute towards a greater understanding of classical culture, and to promote an interest in humanistic studies linked to Rome and Italy.

The history of the institute

The Swedish Institute in Rome was founded in 1926, thanks in part to the backing of Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf. An association was founded to support the institute in 1937, at the initiative of Director Einar Gjerstad. The aim was to provide financial backing through annual membership or larger one-off donations, particularly through purchasing scientific literature for the library. Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf was patron of the association. Today, the Friends of the Swedish Institute in Rome has around 900 members, and The King is the association's patron.